zbrpgfandomcom-20200214-history
The Twili Edge
The Twili Edge is the first chapter of Interloper War's Second Season. This chapter contains a higher number of subsections than normal, due to its focus upon introducing new characters, and reintroducing characters from Season One. This chapter is named for its core theme of the Twili invasion of Castle Town, but it contains plot threads from the other sidestories as well, such as Polaris and Felina in the mountains, the events in the southern forests, and events in the desert. Most subsections here only go for 3-4 posts before diverting off to the next chapter. As more chapters are added, and sections grow longer, some posts may be trimmed from this chapter for the sake of bulking up other chapters that would otherwise be too light on content. This will be handled on a case by case basis. A Crushing Start Maydni/Early Morning 5/Outside the Castle Town Walls Her men had marched right to the doorstep of the Hylian people. One thousand Twili soldiers surrounding the pride and joy of Hyrule. There were three main gates leading into and out of the city, and all three were blockaded by Twili forces. There was nowhere for the Hylians to run. “color=purpleSiege Mages at the ready! Archers, light your arrows!/color” There was a sudden eruption of noise as Twili Mages began their incantations and fire crackled on oil-soaked rags wrapped around Twili arrows. On the ramparts of the town walls, the brave Hylian defenders notched their arrows. The Twili had remained just barely within effective range, and the Hylians had been ordered to conserve ammunition for better targets. They were nervous. They could hear the murmuring of the mages. “Goddesses watch over us.” one soldier murmured. His brother defender nodded in silent agreement, adding his own fervent wishes to the prayer. Maydni narrowed her eyes, peering at the wall. It had been damaged in Quell’s attack, but not nearly enough to present any sort of sound tactical advantage. The defenders were still locked inside their bastion. It was her job, and the job of her mages, to change that. “color=purpleConcentrate on the parts already damaged. They’re obviously weaker! After that, targets of opportunity! And don’t you Idare/I get in my way!/color” The regular soldiers cheered, load and intimidating. Their battle cry washed over the walls and added more fear to the first-line defenders. Among them, the Hylian commanders issued similar orders. “Archers be ready! As soon as they are in range, you fire! We can’t waste ammunition here, I want killing shots from every loose arrow!” The dark sky grew suddenly bright as the sun crested the horizon. Its rays, unobstructed in the distance, bounced off the bottoms of the nearer clouds overhead. In the newfound brightness, the eerie purple shade of the clouds became only ever more eerie. The commander yelling orders suddenly paused his voice, looking up at the churning mass of vapor. “Din’s tits, what is that…” A vortex swirled through the cloud cover, and an amaranthine orb of maleficent energy shot down through the center of the vortex. It careened through the short distance toward the town walls. A healing mage stationed with the man shouted out a prayer. “Nayru, take our souls! We give our lives in service to Hyrule!” And then the orb hit. Magical energies blasted out from the impact zone in a blinding flash of darkness. When vision returned, the wall was simply gone, as was everything else in a fifty yard diameter from the epicenter. All that remained was a shallow crater, five feet deep at its deepest though with only a slight decline to that point from the outer edges. In other words, it was just as Maydni had instructed the mages to construct that attack, leaving an easy ingress for her troops. “color=purpleNOW! CHARGE THEM!/color” The Twili forces rushed forward like a tide of flesh and metal, attacking while the Hylians were still stunned. Above them flew burning arrows, flying over the wall and landing in the city behind, alighting fires in the buildings. The Interlopers made it halfway before the arrows were loosed, and despite the distraction Twili fell to the defense’s archers. An infantry charge was enough to snap them into action. In a wave, Interloper soldiers crashed into the wall, and for that fifty yard section they crashed through into the streets, spreading out to flank the defense on the walls. Elsewhere, coordinated, the Twili Siege Mages not drained by pouring their magical energies into that first assault loosed smaller, less destructive attacks against the damaged sections of wall while archers and shield-phalanxes provided cover in the charge. Hylian arrows were less effective in these areas, overall, but the marksmanship was better and many of the attackers were left behind, dead or dying on the field. Frantically, the citizens of Castle Town were ushered into the Castle itself, the second line of defense. The sacrifice of those soldiers on the wall would not be forgotten. They were giving their lives in defense of the people, buying time both for the evacuation and for Hyrule Castle’s own defenses to be shored up and readied. It was grim, but each man out there had volunteered to be in the very front, the first to fight and to die for their Kingdom. They were to hold out as long as they could, and then fall back behind the Castle walls if need be… if there were any still surviving at that point. With any luck, the soldiers held back at the Castle would be used as the ‘cavalry’, rushing out to push back the Twili before they had advanced too far into the city. With any luck… The Goron Support Force Gigagoron/11 PM Night 4/On a Path up to Death Mountain Gigagoron slowly carried his father up the mountain. Behind him, twenty-eight other gorons carried dead members of their family as well. Their way was lit by the hundreds of gorons looking on from the side of the path, holding torches. Up Giga went, up to the mouth of the volcano. Twenty-nine dead, he thought. Twenty-nine dead from the destruction of the forge. Giga had seen his enemy, he had seen the Twili run through his legs. He hated her. Because of that Twili, his father, Daurnuro, the 148th patriarch of the gorons was dead. Because of that Twili, his personal sanctuary, the forge, was gone. As Giga neared the mouth of the volcano, he began to circle it, as did those following him. One by one, they dropped their family member's body into the fire, a final offering to show that they, like all gorons, were one with the mountain. Many cried, some were stunned, Giga was angry. He clinched his fists as he saw his father's body fly into the magma. "Whatever happens," he said to himself, "the one responsible will pay for this." Just then, he felt a hand on his thigh. He turned around and saw that it was one of the elders, Gor-Mashal. "Giga," he said, "You must come, a messenger from Hyrule has arrived and we have called a counsel. As the patriarch's son, you should be there." Giga nodded, took one last look at the spot where his father had hit, and walked back down the mountain.. They came to the entrance of the counsel room. Giga, too big to enter, had to look on from a window. Inside, he saw the four elders, as well as one of the elder's sons, Daurubia, who because of an ancient tradition forbidding the practice of giant gorons becoming patriarchs, was set to be the new leader. Ungrateful throne stealer, Giga thought to himself. But what Giga did not expect to see was a strange bird creature, who looked tired and out of breath. "Good, we are all here," Gor-Miam said. He looked to the bird creature, "Now what news do you have from Hyrule?" "It's Castle Town!" the bird creature panted. "It's being attacked in the morning by Twili!" Giga grinned. Gigagoron/11:30 PM Night 4/Inside the goron counsel room "We shall not fight!" Dauribia shouted. "I shall not risk more goron lives for a fight that is not ours. "But it is ours!" Giga rebutted from the window. "The Twili made it our fight when they destroyed our forge and killed our people!" "As Patriarch, my decision is final!" Daurubia stated. "No goron shall be going to war." He turned to the messenger, "I'm sorry, but tell the king that we simply cannot help him right now." Giga was stunned. Daurbia had been patriarch for 5 hours and already he was screwing up. "I'm sorry as well," the messenger said. "But there is one more thing I was sent here to inform you of. I have explicit instructions from the king to make sure that absolutely no one outside of this room hears about this." Everyone nodded in agreement. "In absence of any legitimate form of a Hero, Hyrule has decided to forge the Daybreaks Sword." Everyone was silent. "We are looking to the gorons as the supreme smiths of the land to take head of this project." Gor Corrish looked at Giga and said, "The best blacksmith we have is staring at you through that window. It will be his duty to construct this forge. Unfortunately, our forge will take some time to rebuild after its destruction today. I estimate roughly 2 days with everyone working on it." "I don't need that forge." Giga said. "Well of course you do," Gor Corrish said. "It's the only forge you've ever used." "I've had enough training," Giga said. "Give me any decent forge and I will be able to construct your forge." The messenger nodded, "Good. I will return when it is time. Right now, most of the materials we need are not in our possession, including one you gorons protect. We will need some goronite from here on the mountain." Daurubia nodded, "Very well, I will retrieve some from the Emperor Dodongo in the morning." "Very well," the messenger said. "I will now take my leave." He looked one last time at Daurubia, "Please try to reconsider your decision on fighting. The fate of Hyrule is in danger here, all of Hyrule." Daurubia nodded and the bird-man flew away. Giga once again grinned. Gigagoron/Roughly 3 AM Day 5/Inside Giga's hole in the ground he calls home. Giga popped out his head and looked around. No one in sight, he thought. Good. He crawled out and, as sneakily as he could, began the long trek down the mountain where he knew Kakariko Village would be. He was nervous. It would be the first time he would ever leave the mountain. Giga was finding it increasingly difficult to be sneaky considering his size. Every step he took, the earth slightly shook. And if even thought about rolling into a ball, it would cause what would feel like a small earthquake. Eventually he made his way down most of the mountain when he heard a voice, "Just where do you think you're going?" Giga looked up and saw that Daurubia was sitting on the overpass he had just passed through. Giga looked up, shook his head and started walking away. "STOP!" Daurubia shouted. He jumped down from the overpass, making a small hole in the rock where he hit. "I cannot allow you to leave." Giga turned back. Daurubia stood roughly two feet taller than most gorons, mostly due to his blessing from Din as the patriarch, but he still paled in comparison to Giga. "You can't hope to stop me. Those damned Twili, who might I add just insulted our people and destroyed our forge, are ready to attack our allies, and you sit here doing nothing! I can see the face of the one who did it. I'm going to find her Daurubia, and I'm going to kill her. My best bet is to be where the rest of the Twili are." "I may not be able to physically stop you Brother." Daurubia said, putting emphasis on the Brother, "but there is something else I can do...Exile." Giga sputtered, "B-But exile is only reserved for traitors of our people." "Exactly," Daurubia said. "We have sworn that you will be here to construct the Hylian's sword. If you leave, you betray our allies, and so you betray us." Giga got angry fast, "But it is you that is betraying our allies by abandoning them in their time of need. If this is how our tribe is run now, then I want no part of it." Giga made his way down the mountain. Daurubia simply stared, knowing there was nothing he could do to stop him. Gigagoron/Pre-dawn 5/Kakariko Giga looked around at the multitude of strange houses around him. Being a giant goron had always had some downsides to it, one of which was the few opportunities to ever leave the mountain. He slowly walked into the heart of the village, crushing into the dirt road. The village appeared deserted, that or everyone was still asleep. Suddenly, he noticed a child goron sitting a mat with some various items spread out in front of him. "Hello there brother," the child said, "are you interested in buying some goods?" I am no brother of yours youngling, I'm afraid I've been exiled. "Exiled?" the child responded, looking surprised "But most gorons who live on the surface are exiled or descendants of ones who were exiled. My great-grandfather was exiled many years ago. And I have a friend who says his great-great-grandfather was once the patriarch, but was exiled. I don't believe him though." You mean you're not ashamed? "Ashamed? Why would I be ashamed? The ground level is great. A goron can really live down here, you know? I get all the milk I want, and all I have to do is sit on this mat every night and sell some stuff. There's nothing wrong with living down here." Giga grunted. That is something to think about youngling, now isn't it. Tell me, where is everyone in this village? The young goron looked surprise, "You mean you haven't heard? Well Castle Town is being attacked of course. Most of the men have gone to fight, while the women and children are holed up in their homes right now. It's really killing my business actually." This fight is precisely what I'm trying to find. Tell me, where is this Castle Town you speak of? "Why, it's just down that path there." The goron pointed the way. Thank you youngling, I will not forget this. Giga walked down where the child had pointed. That is one big goron, the child thought as Giga walked away. Whatever he did to be exiled, it must have been pretty bad. After a short walk down the path, Giga turned and found himself in a giant field. He looked back at the mountain one last time and saw another strange bird creature not unlike the messenger from earlier, but he thought nothing of it at the time. The sun rose. Previously, On Ken's Story... Senshi/Desert Colossus/pre-Dawn 5 "Here," Senshi said as he throw the strangely shaped mask on the Twili General's desk. "What's with the get up?" Grem couldn't help but comment on that hooded cloak his new solder seemed to pick up over night. "Long story, anyway lets discuss how you'll use this to win your war by tomorrow afternoon. Senshi/Desert Colossus/Dusk 4 Senshi drew his sword stopping Grem strike just in time but it was clear he could keep up the fight. He's already taken far to much damage and it was only thanks to the boost in strength the golden gauntlets were giving him that enabled him to push back the Twili's blow. He knew if he to end this before Mikhal was killed but winning the battle clearly wasn't an option. "Ok wait!" He yelled in desperation, "I give up, but if you spare me and the kid you captured I'll make you a deal." "Well this is almost funny," Grem said with a half chuckle, "sure why not go ahead let me hear you beg your way out of this." "First let me make it clear, my loyalty is not with the Hylians. I was fighting with them only because this war has a third party that I have a vendetta against one that would be your enemy as well. That said I really don't care who a help so long as this individual is dealt with and from what I can see here the Twili seem in a much better position then the Hylian's ever were. So spare the kid, let me join you and I will tell you everything I know about the Hylian's, their Light Warrior trump card, and the one who plaques both sides a Shiekah women who's being partially control by the sociopath ice mage. As an added bonus I will acquire for you an item that will not only allow you to infiltrate the Hylian's if you wish, but possibly end this war in a before the weeks ends. Oh and as a token of trust," he pulled out the silver gauntlets and threw them over to the general. "The Silver Gauntlets, sacred treasure of the Gerudo. Wearing them increases ones strength ten fold. The its one of the items the Light Warriors need to forge the secret weapon they think can defeat your entire army. By giving it to you their current plan is ruined." To his relief the officer appeared to be considering his offer, of course that didn't mean Grem didn't take issues with a few holes in Shinigami's claim. "If you have no loyalty to the Hylian's why do you care if I spare that boy. He is a Hylian Solder after all?" "You're right she is." Grem briefly looked back at them hostage, "a bit young wouldn't you say. Well fine!" He walked over a jabbed Senshi's broken rib causing him to fall to the ground in pain. You've got until tomorrow morning back here or I give the kid to the men. By the way, I wager it takes over a day to get to the castle and back so you better start running." Senshi struggled to walk across the desert as quickly as possibly. Cold of the night quickly approaching only added to the pain he was suffering from his broken bones. Finally after a half hour he'd managed to get far enough away from the Twili's camp that they wouldn't see the flash of light. He pulled out the Ocarina of Time and despite the pain and played one of the songs he knew still worked. Senshi/Kokariko/Night 4 "Damn it!" he yelled with the last of his strength has he collapsed in the pond that supposedly held one of the Light Spirits they needed power from. Trying his best to ignore the pain he once again began to play the ocarina. He tried song after song in hopes of calling the light spirit, even ones he knew wouldn't work. There was nothing. "Decedent, you should know that not all beings created by the three will beacon to the call of the Hylian Treasure." The light spirit Eldin's voice boomed after it appear of its own volition. "Worth a shot, anyway since you called me the 'decedent' I guess that means you know who I am. That'll make this a lot easier, I need you're help." "I'm sure you do, but do not be fooled I the manner I address is not enough to warrant my compassion. True your blood is in line with three sacred titles but only one of which our kind is obligated to help and that would be the one line your clearly not worthy of. It is out of concern for Hyrules future that I appear before to hear your case, but know that I will not be party to your schemes." "No schemes, I swear to you that if you grant me your blessing I will deliver it to the Hylian's. I do truly intend to help their cause but as I'm sure you know there are other matter that I must deal with. Also if you could heal my wounds." Eldin paused for a moment to consider whether he should believe the boys claims. "Very well." Senshi/Hyrule Castle/Night 4 "Here, Eldin's blessing and more then enough ore." Senshi said throwing the items down on Pheonix's desk. "The blessing too, very good. What happened to you're cloak?" "It was destroyed, I've got a replacement in my room though." "You ever think of going with out it?" "Maybe next time," he to towards to door before he could take a step it swung open as a familiar face popped in. "Phoenix I knew you told me and dad to be careful while training these guys but..." she stopped dead noticed her older brother who wasn't suppose to know her and their father were in Hyrule "...damn it." "Ayala, go home." he said suppressing his anger before storming off. "Kae was hurt you know!" Phoenix yelled in a bid to stop the inevitable. "Was it Annei?" "I don't know all of the details though I'm certain she was part of it." "Do me a favor, tell Bryesis to stay the hell away Annei. Don't search for her, don't try to reason with her, don't even try to fight her. If she can do that I'll do every thing I can to save her. Other wise, I'll kill Annei, even if I'm damned for it I'll kill her the second I see her." "Don't you think you should be the one to give that message." "...She wouldn't listen to me anyway" - After grabbing a new cloak Senshi snuck back into the treasure vault to grab the token he promised the Twili as well as a few other prizes. He found his "gift" quickly enough, the Deku Mask that his uncle had left with the Hylians in hopes that that could spark a friendly relationship with the Deku Shrubs Sadly that has yet to happen and the masks powers have been long forgotten. The second was even easier to find as he had found it yesterday when searching for the Tempest Medallion. The one remaining Sage Medallion left unaccounted for, Kima's. This would be his trump card to get away from the Twili once he was in a position to save Misha. The last item he was looking for took some time as it was mixed in with rows of scrolls and books. "Phoenix was wondering what where Moran and your side kick were." Ayala said as she walked in to the vault. Even his he brothers mental barrier she still had no problem finding him when they were this close. "Don't worry about that, and didn't I tell you to go home." He said without turning his attention away from his search. "Not going to happen. By the way, that thing you were talking to Phoenix about. What's going on?" "It's nothing, just forget about it." "See that's how I know you're keeping something from me because mom said the same thing and dad has no idea what I'm talking about so that gives me just a few guesses as to-" "Ah found it." He called out interrupting his sister. "Found what?" "A score sheet with every song Uncle Link ever learned for the ocarina, I couldn't remember the Requiem of Spirit. Ayala, forget everything and go home." "Wait, Sen don't pull this crap again." "Sorry," he played the song and vanished. Senshi/Desert Colossus/pre-Dawn 5 "Yes that all good but first I'd like to learn about these Light Warriors," Grem responded with a devious smirk. "By the way, what was your name again." "Shinigami." The Letter K Kae Bryseis/Hyrule Castle/Morning 5 She slept so soundly for one in so much pain. Scions had some edges that mere mortals would beg for, and then there were some they wouldn't. However, only one morning of this war had a peaceful awakening for her. This wasn't one of them. Kae looked to be a lot better than she was yesterday. She healed very quickly thanks to the intravenous blue potion drip and alchemically treated wound dressings. She still wasn't 100 percent, and she was short one arm. Active magics looked to be picking up in that regard. Her friend and trusted companion, Elly, shook her awake when the Twili offensive began. "Kae, you need to get up quick! I'm sorry, but I've got no other choice!" She winced in pain as she stirred. "The dreams...they were so lucid...what?! How many? Elly helped her sit up and started to brush her hair in an attempt to soothe her. "Looks to be about a thousand strong. Mixed units, siege mages, archers, and footmen. They've breached the wall. We're holding them for now, but we're going to need to do something. Jaden and Haraf are currently preparing to launch a counter-offensive." Kae breathed deeply and sighed, burying her face in her hand. "I could handle a thousand if I hadn't been cursed by Din. There's got to be something else I can do..." "I'm not advocating sending you out in this mess. You need to patch up. Maybe defend the castle if these grounds are compromised." She looked up at her friend, tears welling up in her eyes from pain. "I need to do something though! I wouldn't be doing my duty if I sat here and convalesced!" Dear, your abilities are not all about shock and awe. Remember who your Patroness is. Nora set off a spark in Kae's mind, which shot her to her feet. She held up her IV bag via telekinesis and asked for Elly to draw the dressing screen. Conjuring her robes, she quickly moved the screen back and met a wall of physician resistance. "You've been through hell and then some, Scion. While I may agree that you need to do something, you shouldn't be running around." "I'll go against medical advice then. I have an idea, and it will improve our chances. Nayru will protect us. I will pray a Wall of Faith into existence with help from any faithful who wish to lend it. Now let me pass; time cannot be wasted! Elly didn't just stand there. She kept going. "Do as she says. Spread the word, get to praying!" Kae winced a good bit as she headed to the door, opening and heading out into the halls. People were bustling about, and stretchers were on their way carrying wounded. She made sure to give them a wide berth. Lots of people running. She could hear their thoughts. Many were already praying, and she was feeding off of this energy. Some of it was desperation, and other bits of it were indeed genuine faith. But she could feel blasphemy coming from where fighting was at its thickest...profane energy residue where the main wall had been breached. The crazy one is here...Jaden is not going to be able to do his thing properly due to her unpredictable nature. The stench of profane magick sickens me! "Kae, we can't just stand around. Are you going to the Cathedral or not?" "At once, Elly. Just watch my back; this place is as chaotic as ever now." And so they went about navigating the sea of humanity. It's Risky, But Just Crazy Enough to Work Jaden Bryseis/Hyrule Castle War Room/Morning 5 I should be out there. This whole backup thing is not my style at all! We know what they have, we know how to deal with it. Why are we waiting here with our thumbs up our backsides? He'd done up everything and prepared to spill some blood. Yes, a proper plan would be important. But he was so angry that the enemy had just walked up and blew a hole in their defenses. He wanted to do a counter-siege, soften them up, and proceed to mop up the remnants with a blitz. No Twili walks away alive. But anger tends to cloud judgment, as he was often reminded by his family and his new master. At least it wasn't a total frenzy in the war room. High Command had its plans. Its ideas. They were fairly sound. While he disagreed with some of it, now was not the time to pipe up and rock the boat. "The front line is only going to be able to hold for so long. We're going to need an answer for what they've got, and most of it is pretty direct." "But what if their XO uses that red sphere of doom again? It's almost like an anti-Kae Bryseis or something." "We're not sending the Scion out there in her condition. But I'm sure she'll do something to help. She has become a major asset." Jaden raised his hand and asked permission to speak. "Sir, I recommend an advance barrage of magic, archery, and trebuchet shells over the wall. It may not be as accurate as if it were from the ramparts, but we can't risk damaging our interior more than it already has. After we've given a few salvos, we need a three-faced hard blitz to break that line and give more of our troops a chance to get in there and raise hell. The sooner we stop that siege damage, the better, provided we don't get flanked. Keep a strong rear guard in the city and back it up with a lot of heal support. And don't forget constant reinforcement." One of the generals had a strange look on his face. "We need all the men we can get. What you propose asks for heavy casualties. This is not a problem you can solve by throwing enough bodies at it, Captain." "What if I told you I had a way to avoid that problem, sir?" "I'd call you crazy and be tempted to have the Chieftain relieve your commission if you talk back to me again. You may be one of the best, but know your place, Bryseis. We need to think of diversionary tactics too. They expect us to come out swinging." "There's only a thousand of them..." "Yes, one thousand blasphemers supernaturally suffused by a crazy witch who just blew a hole in a well-built wall without batting an eye. If we can cut the head off that snake, they'll scatter. But we need to break their line, their morale, and then their necks." "Your Chieftain has an odd taste in choosing his heir. Very aggressive. Bloodthirsty, even. Is this how you plan all your battles?" "They seem to have removed other available and more palatable options. I'm not going to advocate adding to a mound of bodies while we buy time. They need to know we mean business. It's not just our pride at stake here. It's also our reserves. Our infrastructure. The further they advance, the more we will have to rebuild if we fend them off." "And if you kill them to the last man, the next wave will fight harder. Carnage only begets more of the same." All of this arguing did waste some time, but other strategists were huddled around a table making plans. Jaden's advice did win some support, and a few of the commanders started arranging the positions for a triple-head countering rush. "We can't let them get away and rejoin the main army. And they're not going to surrender. They're all hell-bent on killing us all. No reason to take the high road. I'm sure no one here would disagree that the enemy needs to be taught a lesson. One the men would be more than happy to teach!" He sat down and sipped on some coffee that had been provided for the officers. They knew his tactics made the Ordon Rout (where he had been outnumbered at least ten to one) a lot less catastrophic than it could have been. His heroics cut at least a thousand men out of the force that was assaulting their walls now. And his sister sent a lot more to meet their makers. "Brother...I am going to attempt to perform a ritual to fortify our defenses. If you are able, whisper up a prayer or two to Nayru. A Wall of Faith will keep the heretics out of the castle and possibly part of town...tell others to pray...She will not forsake us in our hour of need!" One of the other generals then asked others present if they had any other ideas before making preparations to launch their first counterattack. Jaden prayed that they would listen to him, even though his proposal wasn't part of what High Command initially wanted to do. And that his sister's little plan would work. Even if it seemed a bit far-fetched. But he knew better than to doubt her. He looked over at the strategists while others proposed their ideas for a counter offensive. You Guys Look Like Ants Horus/6 thousand feet above Hyrule/Morning 5 The wind blew hard against his face as he free-fell to the ground below. The pleas of the Sky people echoed in his head. "Don't go down there young one, it's much too dangerous." "I beg of you, don't go! There's so much to live for!" "Your training is far from finished, how do you expect to do anything more than your father?" The excuses he was given had no end. They all worried deeply for his well-being, and he ignored them all. None of it mattered to him. The only thought he could process in his mind was to bring the ones responsible for his parents' death to justice. He squinted as the wind blew by his face, clouds flew by swiftly and finally, after what felt like several minutes, land became visible beyond the clouds. He breathed in the crisp, much thicker air of the land creatures for the first time as he magically transformed his arms into wings, and began to glide. He figured the best place to start was on high ground. Death Mountain was the first, and highest place he saw at first glance, and started his way over. One hour later. Horus landed on the surface of Death Mountain, with the smell of brimstone filling his nose. He experienced a mix of hatred and curiousity. He never considered how lost he'd be once he touched down on the world of the land dwellers. He began scanning the area for a good place to start. Horus/Morning 5/Death Mountain As Horus scanned the area, a strange sight caught his eye. It appeared to be a giant rock monster speaking with a slightly smaller rock monster. He had only heard of them in books, but never imagined he'd see one so early. "What a strange creature..." he whispered to himself. The conversation among the creatures did not seem very positive, so he fought the urge to ask for further info about his current situation. He tried to see where the creature was going, which led to him looking out into the horizon. After squinting, he could barely see what appeared to be civilization. "Excellent, maybe I can learn more of the situation down here over-" Before he could finish the thought, he heard a faint rumbling sound. Panicked, he jumped over the edge and held onto a twig the conviniently stuck out of the side of the cliff. He peeked over once he corrected himself to see that it was another rock-like creature. His panic was replaced by fascination as he got a good close look at this newly discovered phenomenon of nature. It was very bulky, and like they looked from afar, they did indeed, have rock-like skin all over thier bodies. Horus waited patiently for the strange creature to pass by, whom miraculously did not notice him. He had little knowledge about the true nature of these creatures, and assumed the worst if he had been seen. The moment he knew the coast was clear, he released the twig and fell. Ladies and Gentlemen, Habiki! Habiki/Ten's Apart/Afternoon 4 Habiki looked in the full-length mirror in Ten's study, admiring his maker's latest handiwork. This "Hikaru" shell was a work of art. Even looking closely, it was hard to spot the tell-tale signs that he was artificial. Subtleties like the grey color of his iris, the reeds that made up his hair, or the greyish-brown tint, the slight specularity of his newly oiled clay skin. He intently studied the new tunic that Ten had provided, that apparently had been made for Habiki years ago. As with his old one, it was bleached white, with brown belt, boots, and sash. But unlike his old tunic, this one was embroidered with old Twili symbols in richly colored leathers. Ten had said they would help amplify his power. Once he grew bored of this, he walked over to the dining table and sat down, where Ten had prepared two mugs of one of his special mineral "teas". Habiki did not take the drink. Ten looked down at the unconscious Sol, who he had carried up the stairs into the study. "Quentin is still very weak. He used up a lot of his power binding you to your new body, and that Dusk creature injured him pretty badly. You may have banished the wound, but his body is still very drained of energy. He could die without proper care." Habiki shook his head. "I'm pretty weak myself. I don't have a lot of spare energy to give him." Ten nodded. "It doesn't matter anyway, what he really needs is rest, maybe a green potion, and someone to keep a close eye on him." Ten's face was lined with worry. "Unfortunately I have...other matters to attend to." Habiki thought for a moment that Ten's eyes had drifted towards the trap door. Before Habiki could ask about this, Ten gestured towards his cup. "You know, you don't have to fear the water anymore. We've taken care of that little design flaw. The worst that can happen if you're flooded with water is for your skin to erode away, exposing the golem within. And even that will only happen if your magic is weakened. So drink, you need sustenance." Habiki shrugged "Eh, I'm not really thirsty," but he sipped at the hot beverage anyway, not wanting to turn down his maker's hospitality. It was bitter, but it warmed him from within and soothed his nerves. "You see? Nothing to worry about. No, now it's fire that you must be wary of, for it could burn away the roots that drive you, leaving you immobile. They'd grow back, but it wouldn't be pleasant. Luckily your skin provides some small protection." Ten's eyes lit up and he nearly choked on his tea. "That reminds me! I almost forgot!" He walked towards a wooden desk in the room and pulled a key from his pocket, unlocking the top drawer and pulling out a dusty, poorly bound book from it. He sat it down in front of Habiki. "You'll want to take this with you when you go. It's all our research over the last 20 years, boiled down. Journals, notes, theory, blueprints, applications. Think of it as an owner's manual." Habiki picked up the old book and thumbed through it. "A manual for what?" Ten delighted. "For you." *~*~*~*~* Habiki walked down the streets of Castle Town, carrying his ailing creator as he headed toward the infirmary. Ten had tried to protest, but Habiki had quickly silenced his fears. "Before you say anything, yes, I realize I'm taking a Twili to a Hylian stronghold, but he's with me, and I'm on good terms with the Hylians. They'll make sure he gets the care he needs." "Besides," he laughed, "I have a feeling Commander Pheonix will want a word with you two at some point." Habiki stepped through the infirmary doors and notified the nursing staff he had a patient. They were overbooked, but after a long wait, they were able to clear a space, and directed him toward a room. As he headed down the halls he had to step to the side to avoid running into a young Sheikah soldier who was walking briskly out of one of the hospital rooms. He looked perturbed. The man had looked a great deal like Kae Bryseis, he thought. But that must be a Sheikah thing. Suddenly he remembered the vision he had had earlier. In the excitement of fighting Dusk, he'd almost forgotten. A Seraph had been defeated and turned into a bloodied and battered Kae. His curiousity quickly got the better of him. He entered the room that had been emptied for Sol and laid his maker upon the bed, then ducked out toward the hall toward the other patient's room. He threw the door open and for a moment from the curtain caught a glimpse of what he'd feared, a battered Sheikah girl lieing in the hospital bed. but he did not see her face. Another young Sheikah girl who had been kneeling beside her quickly stood and tried to banish the intruder. "You can't come in here!" she said angrily. "Like hell I can't!" he said and pushed past her, throwing back the curtain and finding exactly what he'd suspected. He stood there, feeling foolish as the other girl walked over and glared deserved daggers for him barging in here so callously. He saw the look of surprise on the wounded girl's face. He looked sheepish for a moment, then spoke. "Hello, Kae. You didn't think Lynn could off me that easily, did you?" Kae Bryseis/Infirmary/Evening 2 To escape some of the pain, Kae had just drifted off. She started to see things in her dreams, albeit briefly. An interruption was coming. Unexpected, but not unwelcome. She stirred when Elly began shouting. "You can't come in here! She needs her rest!" Shifting in and out of consciousness through that scuffle, her jaw dropped when she saw who had pulled back the curtain. Felis was resting by her head, though he was undisturbed by this. No one really knew how, especially with that cat piping up at any opportunity. "Elly, am I seeing things? Because I thought for sure he had been killed earlier today..." "Well, you'd have to tell me who he was...oh...that's him? You keep some real strange company, Kae." She didn't sit up because it hurt too much, but she smiled at Habiki. "I had to keep a real stiff upper lip after Lynn took me on that South Hyrule Death Trip. Very glad to see you've survived though, and I appreciate you coming to visit me." A few deep coughs forced her to clutch her chest with the remaining hand. Elly walked over with a warm towel and dabbed at her forehead, keeping an eye on the rest of the room. "So...how did you survive that anyway? That was no ordinary flash freeze." She raised an eyebrow curiously, fighting back the urge to wince. Not an easy thing to do when one's whole body feels like it is being bitten by ants at any given time. Habiki/Infirmary/Evening 4 Glad to see him? That was not exactly the reaction Habiki would have expected, given that he had attacked her best friend in an altered state. Guilt swept over him upon seeing her attempt to smile. Habiki sat uncomfortably by the wounded Scion. She was in bad shape, to be sure. He could feel her friend's eyes boring into the back of his head. He tried to ignore her. Kae began to question him. "So...how did you survive that anyway? That was no ordinary flash freeze." Habiki chuckled and pointed toward himself. "Not human, remember?" knowing that didn't adequately explain anything, his smile quickly vanished. "...my makers came to save me after I got myself out of the ice. My body was pretty much beyond repair, but luckily they had a better one waiting for me. I still would have been a goner, if Lynn had directed the ice into my heart, but she shot it out around it. Ironically enough, that probably protected me, and kept the darkness at bay." Lynn, he thought. What must Kae be thinking right now? He put his head in his hands for a moment, then looked at her again. She was truly battered. "I'm sorry," he said, beginning to choke up. "This is my fault. I made an enemy of Lynn from the start, and when the sickness of my old body took over, all the rage of the beast came down upon her. I backed her into a corner, I pushed her over the edge. Maybe if it weren't for the fight at the Cathedral, she'd still be on our side." He paused for a moment before asking his next question. "...What the hell happened to you?" Kae/Infirmary/Evening 4 Not human...well, that made enough sense. Her knowledge of constructs didn't extend to much more than the basics. The Sheikah knew the Twili were there, so she did get a 101. Still didn't help her with the deeper stuff. She'd have to piece that together herself. "What happened with her can't really be dwelt upon too much. I very well might have done the same with Lynn because of the imbuing. She didn't have anything special except for the Sheikah training. I woke up and ended up like this, well, sort of. All we can do now is pray that what's left of my friend in there will be more entertained harrassing the Twili than us." Elly was not looking too happy about this. She trusted Kae's judgment, but she was watching very closely. This was a Twili golem. It may have a different opinion on life and affiliation, but it was still Interloper-made. Kae motioned for her to relax. She responded with a reluctant nod and resumed her vigil. "Don't worry about Elly. She's doing her job, and I'm very grateful for her. As is my brother Jaden, but that's a different story." The Scion's face winced a bit as she gave a recall of what had happened to her. "When you face off against two of the Twili's finest, ending up here is a blessing. Let me assure you of that..." After taking the disc-ride and being dropped right in the heart of Maydni's forward camp, she immediately gained aggro from most of the inhabitants. She hacked, slashed, and blasted her way to a near-exit, but Kinslayer found her. And it was very hard to escape from someone like that. So she accepted his challenge, figuring that even if she lost, most of the camp would be destroyed in the process. After a near-apocalyptic escalation, Maydni incapacitated nearly everyone in the camp except Kae and Quell, who then locked psychic horns. Quell succeeded in burning Kae's candle at both ends, and in the physical state she didn't have much left. If it weren't for Lynn, she would have been captured and probably killed. She was lucky the arm was all she lost, save for the blood corruption, which she also explained to Habiki. And as for that celestial being who saved her, she wasn't sure who it was. But it felt so much like her brother... At least her initial plan worked. She would have liked to have ended Kinslayer, but that wasn't in the cards. "One could say my powers have been curtailed in a way. If I don't convince Din I'm worth saving, I'll be banished to the Sacred Realm in less than a month's time. Which is very...counterproductive given our current situation. So don't expect me to be raining down death from above like the past few days. And it still boggles my mind as to why Lynn would save me given what has happened." She sat up a little, but Elly told her to lie back down. EVERYONE SHOUT YOUR ATTACKS Seishi Ma/Morning 5/On top of Hyrule Castles outer wall "BURST!" A loud scream roar through field a battle as a massive blast of energy was launch from Seishi's sword and slammed down into a cluster of siege mages. The lucky ones were blow clear and knocked out by debris some of the other were laying dead in a small crater. "You name attacks?" D'Ren commented shaking his head in disbelief. "Ones that I do." "You know, that was actually kind of cool. Oh and Hark," Cpl Ront said as he turned to the one guy in the squad that was lower ranking to him. "That concussion the commander gave you while training last night, you got off easy." "Yeah easy my ass," Hark responded rubbing the back of his head. "You say that but the commander was clearly being tougher on me then the rest of you for some reason." "Yes he was, and it was because your twit. Once you figure out why your a twit I'm sure it will all come light." Ront shot back, sure he could tell him it was because that young women in the squad that Hark was hitting on is actually the commanders daughter, but they had an officer pool going and informing the kid would just mess things up. "Anyway it's clear that the Commander has things handled here what with his massive energy balls all so I think the rest of us can all it a day. What do you drinks are on the Sergent Major." "Would you shut it before I gut you," Rin yelled pressing the the tip of her knife against the underside of the Ront's chin. "We aint got time for you're **** today." "Noted." Ront mumbled back not wanting open his mouth fully and impaling himself on dagger. "Ok, here's the plan. The have blown a hole in the castle wall. This kind of sucks for us but right now that's a bottle neck for them and I'd like to keep it that way. So we're going to kill all of their siege mages before they make another hole. Any questions." "Yeah, you're plan sucks," the Sergent Major called out without hesitation. "Oh wait sorry that wasn't a question let me try again. You're plan sucks. None of us know a damned thing about magic except the sex offender here," he said pointing back to Megumi, "as such we don't know jack about fighting mages." "It's easy, you take your weapon and hit that little dress wearing pansy with it until they die. It should be easy since as I said mages were dresses. "Robes" "Same thing. The only other trick to it is not getting hit. You for with the bows stay up here, everyone else lets go." "And just how are we suppose to..." D'Ren stopped mid sentence as Seishi and Ayala both answered it by jumping down from the wall in the mix of things. "That jackass forgot the rest of us can't survive that fall didn't he. Megumi can you lower us down with that magic rope trick of yours." "Well well LT, are you asking me to tie you up." "Oh for **** sake, just lower us down." Zeon and Ken in a Tree IC: Shato - sky above castle town - morning 5 "Hmph... How rude of Maydni, taking the entire army and going off to battle without a word..." Shato mused to herself as rode on the back of the Helmorac King. She had spent most of the night gathering up her supplies to replace the weapons she had used slaying the Emperor Dodongo and resting from the expedition to Death Mountain. Now she was stuck playing catch up with the rest of the army so she could report her findings. "Oh, it looks like the Hylians are giving Maydni a hard time, I guess I should help or she'll just yell at me." She spoke as she stared down at the chaos in the castle down. As she did she noticed a small group of soldiers ambushing the Twili soldiers as they made their way through a gap in one of the walls. Going into a steep dive the Helmorac King leveled out just above the ground and raced straight at the Hylian forces. Plowing through the group Shato broke their formation but was amused that none of them had died in the attack. Releasing the Helmorac King from the battlefield Shato swapped him out with the mighty three headed dragon Gleeok. "Go break the Hylians lines!" Shato yelled at the giant beast as it began to slowly stampede through the town towards the center of the Hylians defensive line shooting fireballs at military and civilian targets alike. With the dust still settling from her strafing run, Shato then turned her attention towards the Hylian squad she had attacked. It was quite a ragtag lot, made up of ill disciplined ruphians and a more formidable looking paladin commanding them. With a small grin she decided to don a face more appealing to the groups commander. Once the dust and smoke died down enough for everyone to see clearly she approached the group. "Sorry handsome, but I can't let you have your fun anymore." Shato spoke with a girlish smile as she pulled out a small knife." Tauros Taur Dagnir/ Evening Day 4/ ??? It started, first as a slight buzzing sound in the base of his skull and slowly built to a mind numbing, head aching crescendo, "Arise!" Over and over his masters voice reverberated throughout his head. Surely his master wasn't there, just projecting his voice to Taur telepathically. "Arise! For it is time, arise and go, go to Hyrules Castle Town. The city will soon come under attack from interlopers from the south known as the Twili. You're needed, as is your axe. The city, the crown, the entire hierarchy is in danger. This pleases me, it all MUST fall. Bring the Hylian royalty to it's knees, use these Twili to our, MY advantage." Two red slits could be seen through the front of his helm as Taur opened his eyes for the first time in...how long he did not know. Each time he was awakened it was for a task of some sort for his master, upon completion of his task Taur was promptly ordered to return here to his seat in seclusion and the curse placed upon him caused him to slumber until he was roused once more. The joints of his armor creaked in protest as he rose to his full height and took in his surroundings, the room, as it always was, was bare aside of his throne-like stone seat, beside it stood Tholcrist, the massive war axe along with his shield, crossbow and several bundles of assorted bolts for said weapon. Retrieving them, Taur fastened the crossbow and bolts to his armor and made his way across the room, floorboards groaning in protest beneath his substantial girth. "When you arrive at the city, the Twili assault should already be under way, join them, kill any Hylian that stands in your way. No mercy is to be given. Maydni," a mental image of the Twili CO flashed into Taurs mind, "will be expecting you. Until I say otherwise, you answer to her. Do not disappoint me minion." Taur Dagnir, the king slayer, crashed through the wall and into the world outside. Gods help any creature with the nerve to stand in his way. Morning Day 5 As he topped the hill, the city came into view on the horizon, a massive hole had been blown into the wall and the Twili forces were pouring through it in a full on charge. Hylian archers were raining down arrows from above, picking off Twili troops wherever they could. This was a problem that needed a remedy. As he came into range, he removed his crossbow, set an explosive bolt into place and let it fly, accuracy was a matter he wasn't concerned with, as long as the bolt struck near his mark, the ensuing explosion at impact would do the rest, after incapacitating several of the bow men, he continued his march, the ground rumbling with each step he took. Once to the hole in the wall, arrows from other archers he didn't dispose of were bouncing off of his shield and armor, a minor irritation at best. A host of the beastly little Hylians were scurrying about, some fleeing, others attacking. Men, women, children, civilians, and soldiers alike, it made no difference to him, all were fair game, all met their fate on the blade of his axe, most cleaved completely in two. Again and again his axe swung in wide looping arcs through the morning air, he was blazing a path to the forefront, leaving mounds of bodies in his wake, the blood and gore of his prey dripped from the blade of Tholcrist, with an excited roar he pressed onward to the Twili commander, decimating everything and everyone in his way, he was a force of destruction to all who may encumber his advancement, stopping several feet from the woman, Taur slammed his axe into the cobblestoned street head first so that it stuck with the handle pointed up into the sky, his voice deep and guttural in tone, he addressed the woman, "Maydni." It wasn't a question, he already knew who she was, "My master has summoned me, the fall of Hyrule is something of interest to us. I am at your disposal until master says otherwise. The city must fall." Hark, He Knocks! Harken Zeiss/Morning 5/Castle Town It was chaos. Utter chaos. People fled to the Castle. Others hunkered down in their houses or basements, hoping to weather the fighting. Most of these were rallying around Harken Zeiss. He had gathered the men who would follow him, and they prepared to defend the city. It was too easy to get their alliance after all that had happened, and standing against the Twili here, now, would only serve to further catapult his reputation among the normal citizens. While the rest of these so-called 'Light Warriors' were off fighting to defend the Throne, here was Harken defending what mattered: the people. A squad of Twili had slipped through the Hylian defense lines, passing deeper into the city than their fellows. Harken stepped out in front of their wary advance as they snuck their way through the city streets. "Hold it, now!" he said to them. "You Interlopers are not welcome here." The leader of the squad laughed. "And what are you going to do about it, old man? There's a regime change coming, you'd better just accept it. The easier you make this on yourselves, just let us through to take out the King, the less we'll have to kill you." Harken smirked. "Oh, no. I don't think you understand. You have already hurt the people of this city. You have destroyed their homes. You have killed their family members. Such will not go unanswered! Vengeance is theirs to take, and if you remain here, I will be the instrument of the people's revenge!" The enemy leader rolled his eyes. "Look, if you want to die, I'm happy to oblige you. Let's shut this nut up and continue with the castle-infiltration." The five men started forward towards Harken. He regretted the loss of his cane, but... there was an idea. He muttered a Word of Power and felt a burning sensation course through his body. The shards of the focusing crystal illuminated slightly. He gritted his teeth as the burning increased with the building magical powers. Without the runes of the cane, the crystal shards were focusing the weaker magic inherent in his body, each piece drawing magic from where it was embedded. The Twili reached him then, and the first raised a sword to strike at Harken. In response, Harken lifted his hand and spoke the Word of Release. All the magic that had been drawn into the shards was released in a blast from his hand, slamming into the Twili and killing him. The sword feel to the street, clanging on the stone. "Wh-What the hell?" It was Harken's turn to smirk. "As I said. I am the intrument of these people's revenge. You are the ones to die here." Weeeee! bcolor=yellowhl=darkblueWhie Malreaux/hl/color/Evening 4/Castle Town/b Whie stumbled through the streets of Castle Town. He didn't know where he was going, he just knew he had to get as far from the crazyhouse as he could. He had hated it there! All they had done was lock him in a room with... with the other two. He hated ithem/i! He hated them more than anything. But... still... he needed them. They give him strength, even while making him weak. They empowered him. He could do whatever he wanted, as long as they were backing him up. Such a shame that, in return, he had to do whatever they wanted at times. It was fair, but he despised the arrangements. And since he couldn't get rid of them, there was nothing to do but take advantage of the situation. bEight Years Ago/b "Alright, Leo. S'dark en here. I don't see nuthin' intrestin'. Hell, I cen't see nuthin' t'all. Even ye..." Silence greeted Whie. "Eh? Ah... Leo..? Leo!?" There was no answer. He continued stumbling forward in the darkness. He was lost. iVery/i lost. He might find the exit if he turned around now... but he couldn't leave Leonora! "C'mon! Leo! Where'd ya go?" And then he tripped, presumably over a rock as it was hard and painful, and fell onto the ground. And then he rolled down an incline until colliding with a wall, again hard and painful. He groaned. Looking around him, in the darkness, he was suddenly lost. "Damn!" bEvening 4/b It caught his eye. There. It was big. Pretty. He wanted to see it closer. He had never been even this close, only seeing it in passing when he was finally captured and brought to the institute. Now, he was free. Now, he had the chance to go there. To be inside! And that was what color=yellowhe/color really wanted to do. So he made his way there. To Hyrule Castle. Of course, it was guarded, but that was a laughably easy matter to handle, especially with the monkey mask. Donning the item, his body contorted into the simian form, and he scaled the walls and somersaulted through the bushes of the yard. A guard only caught him but once, and that man was barely able to call out for a halt, let alone raise an alarm, before his neck constricted around his throat, the muscles tensing with the introduction of electrical current from Whie's magic. Once inside the halls, Whie peeled the second form from his body, storing the mask under his cloak, and began to wander the halls. icolor=darkblueThere is a basilica within this imperial residence./color/i For a moment, Whie couldn't help but wonder what was color=darkblueWhisper/color's angle in telling him this? Always that voice had some ulterior motive for telling him anything. Always schemes, always trying to get him to do something. But, then... a basilica? A cathedral, here! Well, of course there was, but... this was the center of Hylian soceity! A prayer made here would have to be heard. Maybe he could change it... He entered the cathedral, pulled his hood up and to conceal his entire head, which he bowed, and began to pray. For Leonora. She's As Cold As Ice bcolor=darkblueLynn Hothnite/color/Very Early Morning 5/Hidden Kakariko/b Hothnite descended from the sky, landing in the middle of the village. So many Sheikah had been mobilized for the war effort, and so secure were they with the thought that none know the location of their village, none had noticed her approach. She walked to the house of the Annei family and opened the door, walking right inside. The front room was empty, her parents were sleeping no doubt. All the better, the less complications, the quicker she could move on to the next stage. She opened the ice box, kept cool with magical ices from Zora's Domain, and took a bottle of milk. Then she closed the box again, and turned to find her mother standing in the doorway to the back hallway. "Lynn..." Hothnite almost dropped the milk bottle, startled by the suddent appearance of the old woman. Leave it to a Sheikah, no matter her age, to be able to sneak up on people, of course. "color=darkblueMother.../color" She had hoped to get in, grab the bottle, and leave without incident. Now, though... what would happen would depend on the woman. "Lynn. I heard such horrible things! But you've come home. The Chieftain will want to speak with you, of course, but I'm so happy. So happy to see you." "color=darkblueNo. I shall not present myself to your Chieftain./color" "Lynn... your voice. It sounds different. Colder. P-Please... tell me it isn't true, what they say. Please, don't break your mother's heart." "color=darkblueI am not your daughter, old woman./color" The elderly Shiekah broke, and began to cry. "Farore, save my daughter!" Hothnite left the house, gathering the morning mist into a discus of ice onto which she stepped and took off into the sky. She left behind a distraught old woman who cried well past the rising of the sun. Quell Those Fears C: Quell - location unknown - night 4 Quell had been carefully pouring over every detail of the mutiliated sheikah arm he had stolen. Although its innards were badly damaged, alot of the skin was still in tact. There was enough left to make out where the shiekah mages had been going with the tattoos design. "How amusing, this truely is a double edged sword... Channeling the divine energy straight into the body and at the same time risking burning it out. The reliability will always be an issue, but I can make this work to my own ends." He thought to himself. The damaged shard that had exploded had saturated the arm with the divine fluids that made the runes work. It would take time to extract it into something usable. '-morning 5-' Quell had been working throughout the night and now dawn had approached. It had taken most of the night to gather the fluids contained in the arm. In the meantime Quell had began crafting a new set of armor with its own set of divine runes that could incorperate the mystical concoction. Now all that was left was to let the mixture harden, which would still take quite a bit of time. Breaking Quell's concentration a shadowy form appeared in the dimly lit room and began to speak. "Quell! Deploy to the front immediatly! Maydni has begun the seige of the castle." the voice commanded. Gritting his teeth Quell was annoyed by the intrusion but knew he didn't have a choice in the matter. "Yes, my master." he replied as the form faded. With the new armor still unfinished Quell donned the last remaining replacement parts for his currently damaged armor and set off for the battlefield. Guardian of the Weak Raoul Ambershade/Protectorate of Ordon/Day 5 ------------------------- With a grunt of exertion, Raoul shoved aside the border between the shadow and the reality, and hoisted himself back into the real world. He stood there for a moment making sure everything was intact and that he wasn't missing any parts of himself. Shadow Travelling was much, much more difficult in this land than in the Twili realm. Far too much light. How did Hylian mages manage to do anything when it was always this bright? Ignoring the two men who were obviously waiting for him, he carefully studied the small room that had been set up as a Travel Hub. The proper seals were on the wall (if slightly out of formation), and the single light source was properly cloaked by a Nacht crystal to insure the best kind of shadow for Travel. Commander Maydni's mages were at least competent, it seemed. With a shrug, Raoul turned back to the shadow and once again shoved the border aside. He reached in and with another grunt of exertion, he pulled his assisstant through. Patting the shivering man of the shoulder, he shooed him towards the waiting men, and then pulled through his secretary and manservant. With a pleased sigh, he allowed the border to return to its normal position and straightened up. He brushed the few whorls of shadow still remaining from his clothing and turned to face the two soldiers. They both bowed low, in deference to his rank, and he acknowledged them with a nod and a smile. "Soldiers who have served on the front lines shouldn't feel the need to offer respect to a lowly nobleman such as myself. It is your courage and sacrifice that keeps our Kingdom safe and prosperous. I should be the one bowing." And Raoul did so, knowing the two soldiers would be exchanging mildly confused or scandilized looks. He bowed just long enough for them to compose themselves, and then straightened. The more senior of the pair, a captain, stepped forward. In his hands was a rod. Well, it would be a rod one day, but for now it was terribly obvious that up until recently it had been someone's femur. The captain spoke, his voice harsh, perhaps from smoking or an injury. "Lord Ambershade. I present to you this Rod of Authority. It was granted to me by Commander Maydni. With this, passed from a military to a civilian authority, the Territory of Ordon is no more." With equal formality, Raoul recieved the rod. "Recieving this, I recognize that the Territory is no more. Instead, as the ultimate civilian authority in this land, I establish the Protectorate of Ordon by order of His Most Glorious Majesty. I will oversee and guard this land as if it was my own, until his Majesty and the Goddesses decide its fate." Formality over with, the captain's shoulders abruptly lost all their tension, and a smile creeped onto his face. "Thank the Goddesses you're here. Its only been a few days, but I have no desire to be the one in charge here," he put out his hand for a handshake, "I'm Captain Creed." Raoul stared at it for a moment, before accepting it. "It's good to meet you, Captain. Let's get down to business, shall we?" Raoul Ambershade/Protectorate of Ordon/Day 5 --------- "So, Captain Creel, what is the state of our newly conquered land?" Raoul asked, as they strode through the little town that the advance force had claimed as its headquarters. Creel gave him a measuring look, before shrugging. "Well, my lord, to be honest I still say it was less conquered than simply being occupied. I have 200 soldiers under my command. Eighty of them are fit for duty. Another thirty-five are walking wounded. The rest are those are seriously wounded. I reckon another fifty or so other support forces, such as the hospital corps, a few mages, and a few logistics officers that weren't needed with the rest of the forces." Raoul frowned. "That isn't much at all. The maps say that Ordon is in fact a fairly large province. How much of that area do we actually hold?" The captain laughed, though his voice contained no humour. "Hold, my lord? We hold this town, and the internment camp about a quarter mile downriver. That's about it. I send out patrols on occasion, so you might say we control maybe a mile or two around this town. Optimistically." Raoul raised an eyebrow, and studied the captain for a minute. There was something odd about the man's tone of voice. "You were left behind for a reason as well, weren't you, Captain?" The man stiffened suddenly, and Raoul knew he was right. "...I was instructed to remain here until I could learn to keep my opinions to myself, my lord. It was not my choice to be left behind." Raoul thought quietly for a moment, before turning to face the nearby river and peered downstream, where apparently the internment camp was located. He needed to play this carefully. "Captain Creel, the King has entrusted me with the task of bringing this land into the Twili fold as quickly as possible. And I have ever intention of doing so. But like you, I have a reputation for honesty," he turned around and flashed the man a quick, rueful smile, "It has not endeared me to many of those in the court. But I will need honest men to help me. Understand?" Raoul didn't even bother to look back to confirm, and simply walked forward towards a building that was obviously the Twili headquarters. "What of the natives? You said something about an internment camp?" "U-u-uh...Yes, my lord. There are approximately two hundred natives currently at the interment camp. Mostly women and children. Most of their men were slain in the initial invasion, or have fled to their captial." "Any others? This is a large territory, after all." Raoul questioned. Captain Creel shrugged. "Hard to guess at their numbers, sir. There are quite a few small outlying settlements. Believe it or not, this little place is the local capital. I'd hazard a guess that anywhere between 500 and...maybe as many as 5000 are still free. Some are probably hiding from us. The furthest homesteads may not actually even know we're here. As you said, it's a big country." Raoul shrugged, and handed his assisstant his cloak. "Well, I suppose we've really got our work cut out for us, don't we?" Northern Exposure IC: Felina - snowpeak underground river - night 4 "Oh crap!" Felina cried as her and Polaris were pulled into the vast whirlpool. Felina's life began to flash before her eyes as she was pulled deeper into the darkness. -long ago- A young Felina sat beside a fire hearing stories from her mother. "Oh that is just silly! Stuff like that doesn't happen in real life! Honestly, passing out in the water and waking up married to a Zora?! Who would come up with crazy stories like that." the young Felina spoke rejecting one of her mothers lessons. -present- "Don't pass out... don't pass out... crap..." Felina thought to herself as her vision dimmed and she passed out as the water pulled her and Polaris even deeper. -Morning 5- "Ugghh..." Felina groaned as she woke up. She was on a ledge in a large partially flooded chamber. Water was pouring out of holes near the ceiling and passing through a variety of vents near the floor. Checking her clothes and surroundings she noticed Polaris climbing out of one of the larger vents in the floor. "What's happening? Where are we?" Felina spoke as she climbed to her feet. "Well not much happened after you passed out. We washed out in here and I pulled you onto that ledge, you've been out like a light most of the night. As for where we are, I think this is part of the Water Temples water drainage system that controls its internal water levels." Polaris spoke as he walked up. "So nothing weird happened... Thank the gods." Felina spoke with a sigh. As she looked back up she realized she was getting a puzzled look from Polaris. "Eh, the Water Temple? So you mean we're at the bottom of Lake Hylia?" She spoke quickly changing the subject. Polaris nodded. "Yeah. Water seems to be feeding in from other sources here and is then redistributed to the inside chambers of the Water Temple as needed. I've been checking out the vents while you were sleeping, that large one leads out to Lake Hylia near the entrance of the Water Temple. The route is actually pretty straightforward, but..." "But the lake is to deep for somebody like me. This is going to be a problem..." Felina spoke as she began to ponder their options. "Its going to be a real pain, but I think you might have to go back to the castle on your own and get the Zora's Tunic from the castle vault..." Felina began to speak as a glowing orb whisked past her. "Heh heh heh. Awesome! A fishguy and a hot chick. I thought I would never get any company." the orb spoke as it took the form of a dolphin. "How did a spirit get down here?!" Felina spoke aloud in shock. She hadn't noticed the dolphin before. "Well one thing led to another and I kind of got stuck down here and died. But hey, you can see me right? That means I should be able to tag along with you right?!" The dolphin spoke as he floated around Felina. "But how?! You're a dolphin? How did you get stuck at the bottom of a freshwater lake this far from the ocean?" Felina spoke in confusion. "Oh come on, don't fret over the small details and just roll with it. Its a win-win situation if we form a pact. You can use my power to swim to the surface like the fishguy and I get the chance to go for a wild ride inside a hot girls body." the dolphin spoke in a perverted tone as it poked its nose against her chest. "Huh?! What did you just say? I... I don't think I want to form a pact with somebody like you." Felina spoke blushing slightly at the dolphins rather vulgar attitude. She couldn't help but worry about what Polaris was making of all this, considering he couldn't hear the dolphin. "C'mon! Its not like you have many options here." the dolphin responding with a squeek. "Sigh... Fine. Whatever, lets just get this over with." Felina spoke as she touched the dolphin spirit and absorbed its spirit. In an instant her form had changed and she was now in a skin tight one piece glossy silver swimsuit, that covered much of her body, leaving only a few gaps on her upper arms, thighs, and stomach, with a face mask covered the lower half of her face and she had a large fin on her back and smaller fins on her forearms and legs. Her eyes were now glossy and black like those of a dolphin. "I guess we don't have a problem anymore..." Felina spoke as she looked over at Polaris. Category:Redawson2 Category:Polaris Eridanus Category:DrEvilGenius